Instant extraction cup

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a disposable infusion product for making a beverage including a filter cup composed of a water permeable material and having on the base of the cup a plurality of perforations as a time control mechanism for flow of liquid. The invention also relates to a method of preparing an individual serving of a solid beverage flavorant, such as coffee or tea being immersed in the filter cup. The assembly includes four concave vents being set on the lower part of the outer side wall of the filter cup to provide relief for hot steam build up that occurs and which could slow down the drip down process when two cups are telescopically engaged in a liquid receiving container. A supporting sit-on-ring telescopically engages above the liquid receiving container.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application Ser.No. 60/926,393, filed on 25 Apr. 2007 entitled “INSTANT EXTRACTION CUP,”which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The invention relates to disposable hot beverage brewing apparatuses,such as for coffee, tea and herbal products. More particularly, theinvention relates to hot beverage disposable containers that containfilter papers that trap solids within the container yet enable fluid topass. The liquid penetrability has been designed through the cup'sholes/cutting areas that allow the liquid to penetrate into a lowerreservoir cup at a consumer's time limit preferences. The arrangementsof how many holes or how big the cutting area will result in how longthe extraction should take place (e.g. 2 minutes; 3.5 minutes; or 5minutes).

Ultimately, this invention has been designed to provide a proper timeand space to provide a stirring movement in a pre packaged 3 in 1 (i.e.,coffee, sugar and powder creamer) coffee mix product that comes in asmall sachet for one serving. The time and space to properly stir iscritical in a 3 in 1 coffee mix preparation. Without stirring, thepowder creamer that has been homogenously mixed with sugar and coffee,when in contact with hot water will form fat layer (shield effect) thatmakes the hot water hard to penetrate into the rest of the mixture. The3 in 1 coffee mix will become clogged and will form a glutinous likecompound which makes the extraction process improperly done. Thus, tohave a brewing apparatus that allows proper stirring is importantespecially in a pre packaged beverage mixture that contains powdercreamer as one of its major ingredients.

2. Description of related Art

Coffee has been consumed and is known as the oldest beverage in manyparts of the world. Thus, there are various devices that have been usedto brew coffee. Traditionally, coffee grounds have been brewed in acoffee pot (infusion). Later on, people preferred to brew in electricdrip coffee machine due to its conveniences. Moreover, due to theadvance of spray-dried technology, instant coffee also has been a choiceto many people. These are fair methods to enjoy a cup of coffee; howevereach one of them has their own drawbacks due to timing, mobility and thefullness of the taste and aroma.

In a percolator/coffee pot, a small amount of coffee grounds isrepeatedly boiled to squirt liquid over the grounds which gives an overburnt taste and tends to also over extract the beverage. In short, itcontributes bitterness and astringency to the final result. Electricdrip coffee machines have won the heart most average householdsthroughout the world. However famous, it is not portable and mobileenough to be used outside the house. People like average office workers(that don't have their own coffee maker or a person that prefers adifferent blend from that provided), dormitory students, and longdistance commuters have only little advantages over electric drip coffeemachine. Instant coffee is the fastest method amongst the other previousmethod to prepare a cup of coffee. However, the major drawback forinstant coffee is that it is more expensive to make. As a generalguidance, 1 kg coffee instant equals to 2 kg-2.6 kg of coffee beans.Also, the typical majority still believe that instant coffee (processedcoffee) has inferior quality in its flavoring ingredient in comparisonto the natural fresh ground coffee. As such, flavor and sophisticationare sacrificed for convenience.

Many brewing apparatuses for tea, coffee and herbal drink have beendeveloped. One such apparatus (Calagui; Juanito B. (Passaic, N.J.), Jul.24, 2001, U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,781 is a cup receptacle with filterelement that is configured to engage to the ridge of the interior of thecup receptacle. This apparatus does separate the indigestible coffeeground during brewing process. However, it passes and extracts very fastwhen one tries to pour hot water into it. The apparatus cannot hold thehot water which is required to be properly in contact with the coffeeground for a certain amount of time. As a result the coffee beveragewill definitely taste weak (coffee term: under extract). Unable to holdthe hot water with a pre-mix of coffee ground, creamer and sugar evenfor a brief moment also renders stirring the beverage impossible. Thus,a pre-packaged 3 in 1 coffee mix is not suitable when using thisapparatus. On the other hand, in order to achieve a better tastingcoffee beverage, one would have to exert great patience in only pouringhot water into the apparatus repeatedly in small quantities. By standingnear the brewing apparatus and repeatedly pouring small amounts of hotwater during a process that could last more than 10 minutes, it ishardly a perfect way to get a decent cup of coffee beverage.Furthermore, when the coffee grounds inserted into the cup receptaclebefore the filter element ridged and the hot water poured, the apparatusdoes prevent the coffee ground being consumed, however, it will alsospoiled the coffee taste and aroma. This is because the coffee ground isstill in contact with hot water that will continue to be extracteddespite of the separation. The correct extraction process required notmore than the recommended time (4 to 8 minutes depend on the coffeeground coarseness). When it takes too long or over the suggestion time,more unfavorable ingredients that will cause bitterness to the taste andsome astringent smell that spoil the coffee aroma will also getextracted.

Releasing hot steam heat trapped during brewing process is a crucialstep. It is especially important when the receptacle employs atelescoping assembly in order to perfectly sit onto the reservoir cup.This assembly creates a firm hold on the brewer cup but on the otherhand it leaves no escaping route for the hot steam created from thepouring down near-boiling hot water. The trapped heat will accumulateand form resistant forces in pushing the heat up, thus, slowing orinterfering the dripping down process generated by gravity forces. Inmoderate condition, it slows the dripping down process but it can evenimmobilize the process in extreme an condition which depends on thedegree of the hot water being used and material used in filtering. Oneof such apparatus that does not have a hot steam releasing vent for thesitting-on beverage brewer in the prior art is Hayes; Susan M. (NewYork, N.Y.) U.S. Pat. No. 4,520,716.

Many brewing devices have failed to accommodate pre mix or pre packagedbeverages such as 3 in 1 coffee mix and 3 in 1 tea mix. It is becausemany of the brewing devices have been ignoring the critical need to stirduring preparation of such product containing powder creamer as one ofits major ingredients. One brewing method that uses a filter paper pouchor bag such as U.S. Pat. No. 5,478,581 (Christie; Hugh P. (Hyde Park5061, AU), Wallace; Allan K. (Hindmarsh 5007, AU) is example of howdifficult if not impossible it is to get the 3 in 1 coffee mix or teamixture (presumably contained in the pouch method) thoroughly dilutedand extracted. This is due to the fat from the powder creamer creating ashield effect that prevents the hot water from further penetrating intothe rest of the mixture. A product in this category can be categorizedas a close-brewing system. In this system, the user is not allowed toperform any kind of modification on the product. This system offers noflexibility to the user either to add or to reduce, for instance, thequantity of the coffee grounds into the pouch/bag.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,619,830 (Napier; Edward D. Scarborough, Ontario, CA)discloses a brewing apparatus that employed an open-brewing-system thatoffers a user more flexibility either to add or to reduce, for instance,the quantity of the coffee ground, sugar or powder creamer into thebeverage. However, its supporting stick/rod in the middle of its topopening has made it uneasy or troublesome for the user in performing aproper stirring motion during beverage preparation.

Each of the prior art disclosed, has shown one or more drawbacks whichmake them until now not a mass product or method to brew “coffee to go”.The invention improves upon the other deficiencies inherent in the priorart and yields an inexpensive, novel, disposable, flexible, mobile, easyto utilize, more accurate (based on brewing time recommendations fromcoffee experts) brewing apparatus for the public.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Coffee, tea and herbal products are very sophisticated products. Eachrequired a certain special treatment to get its utmost benefit. Since,all required hot water to extract the sophisticated ingredient containedtherein, using a correct brewing apparatus is critical. This inventionhas been designed to give an accurate result in brewing time.

Habitually, a large number of coffee drinkers prefer to add sweetenerand cream to their coffee beverage. For such drinkers, there has been adesire to avoid the necessity of separately adding sugar and creamer.For example, such persons would desire the convenience of a single servepre packaged mixture containing “real” roasted ground coffee, sweetenerand creamer. Unfortunately, previous attempts at products containing amixture of coffee, creamer and sugar particles within filter elementshave been disappointing.

Thus, there is a need for a compact, inexpensive, unitary and mobileapparatus with filtering element for accommodating such pre packagedbeverage mixture for preparing an infusion beverage such as coffee, teaor the like. Such pre packaged mixture would be placed in the brewer cupalong with hot water for a time sufficient to allow the coffee to brew.The need and necessity to measure each one of the pre mentionedingredient then would be avoided.

This invention has four primary goals. One is to offer to the public anapparatus that correct and accurate, based on written recommendationfrom Specialty Coffee Association of America, concerning “how long”coffee ground should be in contact with hot water in order to prepare anexcellent cup of coffee beverage. Two is to provide an open systembrewing apparatus that allows the public to have more flexibility tochoose what kind of ingredients to be brewed. Three is to provide abrewing apparatus that has a hot steam releasing vent and also that canbe positioned snuggly on top of a regular coffee mug or disposable papercup. Four is to provide brewing apparatus that is easily stirable inbrewing 3 in 1 pre packaged powder beverage that contain powder creameras one of its major ingredients.

A cup container comprises a disposable liquid permeable brewing filterthat has an open top and partial closed bottom. It is made of coatedpaper, or polyethylene, or polystyrene or biodegradable substancesincluding but are not limited to substances such as modified and orunmodified organic fibers and or pulp and or starch, or any combinationthereof that has number of holes or cutting areas on the bottom of thecup. The number of holes or cutting areas is the time control mechanismwhich produces a critical role in controlling the flow of the liquidfrom this invention to the bottom of a reservoir cup or mug. Each holerepresents 28.26 millimeter square. Although the size is perfect tocreate raindrop size droplets, the hole/cutting area can be varied insize. Preferably, the perforation of the invention comprises anarrangement of about 16.9% (diameter of (φ) 15 mm) to 9.1% (φ 11 mm) byratio to the brewer's cup bottom base (4183.3 mm²); more preferably fromabout 7.5% (φ 10 mm) to 3.7% (φ 7 mm); more preferably still, from about2.7% (φ 6 mm) to 0.68% (φ 3 mm).

Furthermore, in one alternative, the shape of the brewer's bottom baseopening area can be modified into many kinds of shapes. Suchmodification to the bottom base of the brewer cup is desirable toenhance its aesthetic appearances include, but are not limited to,triangle, rectangle, oval, diamond, flower petal, star, circle, heart,crescent, fan, nonagon, octagon, pentagon, decagon, and hexagon, or anycombination thereof.

The cup's bottom has been designed with four concave shapes that areinwardly curving which, in this embodiment, are used to release hotsteam buildup during brewing process. When disposed on a coffee mugthese corners allowed hot steam that is accumulated on the reservoir cupto be escaped. The vent is important to create a resistant-freeenvironment of the liquid flow from top to bottom during brewingprocess. The number of petal shape corner can be maximize or minimizeaccordingly to the desired output of hot steam released (HSR) rate.

When telescopically positioned on a regular coffee mug or similar thathas a top inner side opening range between 7.2 cm in diameter to 7.5 cmin diameter, it will fit snuggly on the cup without any holder. For amug that has inner side top opening with diameter of 7.6 cm to 8 cm, itutilizes an attachable thin polystyrene sheet on the bottom of the outerside of the cup which is position on the bottom. The number of thinpolystyrene sheets can be used from one sheet to more than oneaccordingly to the reservoir cup top opening width. Furthermore, for abigger diameter mug such as a cappuccino mug that is larger than 8 cm,it uses a perfectly fit sit-on-ring which is rounded in shape and hasthree supporting jagged legs. All of above mentioned designs are appliedto hold the cup receptacle firmly with the reservoir cup and providedsome fair mobility during brewing process.

The filter paper or other porous material attaches onto the bottom ofthe cup assembly through hot seal or food grade starch. The heat seal isapplied about 5 mm width circling along the outer edge of the filterpaper onto the cup's bottom. The 5 mm heat seal width provides somestretching flexibility to form a better pressure point during dropletsdrip-down process. One alternative embodiment to re-use the cup assemblyand throw away the used filter paper in order to preserve naturalresources for a better clean environment can be achieved if the filterpaper can be easily peeled off by user. With the 5 mm heat seal widthdesign, the user can peel the used filter paper more easily as it isonly attached to a small number of areas on the cup's bottom base. Thehot seal can be done because the commercial filter paper contained PolyEthylene on one of its side. When applied to heat, PE material melts andbecome part of the cup assembly.

A comparison has been made between “multiple holes/cutting arrangement”and “one single cut arrangement” in the table 1.

Cup's Base Area: r=36.5 mm

3.14×36.5 mm×36.5 mm 4183.265 mm²

Hole Area: r=3 mm

3.14×3 mm×3 mm=28.26 mm²

Testing Procedure:

Two cups that have an exact size are being used in this test. One iswith holes punctured in the bottom and the other has a closed bottom.The punctured cup will be used to measure the rate it reaches 120 ml onthe measuring container, while the other cup as a measurement standardwhich hold 170 ml water. The cup has been pre-wetted with hot water bypassing it through in order to get the filter paper ready to the testingprocess. The time was taken with a stopwatch when the water levelreached 120 ml on the measuring container.

TABLE 1 Multiple Cutting Arrangement Vs. One Single Cutting ArrangementMultiple holes/ cutting One single cut with areas rectangular shape HotWater Arrangement Hot Water Arrangement (HW) No. Sum. (HW) Cutting Reach120 of in Holes to Reach 120 ml to Base ml Holes mm 2 Base Ratio % at00:00:00 Sum. in mm 2 Ratio % at 00:00:00 1 28.26 0.68% 2 56.52 1.35% 384.78 2.03% 4 113.04 2.70% 0:20:03 11 mm × 10.28 mm = 2.70% 0:29:12 5141.3 3.38% 113.08 6 169.56 4.05% 7 197.82 4.73% 8 226.08 5.40% 0:12:0515 mm × 15.07 mm = 5.4% 0:16:21 9 254.34 6.08% 226.05 10 282.6 6.76% 11310.86 7.43% 12 339.12 8.11% 0:07:88 18 mm × 18.84 mm = 8.11% 0:09:69 13367.38 8.78% 339.12 14 395.64 9.46% 15 423.9 10.13% 16 452.16 10.81%0:04:91 21 mm × 24.58 mm = 10.81% 0:13:53 17 480.42 11.48% 452.13 18508.68 12.16% 19 536.94 12.84% 20 565.2 13.51% 0:03:85 23 mm × 24.58 mm= 13.51% 0:08:53 565.34

As can be seen in Table 1, the brewing receptacle with multiple holesarrangement has a more stable result than in the other arrangement. Andalso with the same ratio, multiple holes arrangement has proved to befaster than one single cut arrangement. It is because every cutting areahas a pressure point on the middle of that opening. When the filterpaper gets wet from the hot water and receives gravity forces, thefilter paper will stretch a little and arch in a way to form a pressurepoint where most of the liquid drips during brewing process. Inconclusion to our test, the greater the number of outlets, the faster itwill allow the liquid to pass through the filter paper into thereservoir cup/mug. The test also showed that one single cut arrangement,for example with 13.51% ratio, has a slower rate (8 second and 53 millisecond) result in reaching the 120 ml marking level than 20 multiplecutting arrangement (3 second and 85 milli second) that also has a sameratio. The one cutting arrangement has also proved to be less stable andunreliable as a time control mechanism.

The invention generally provides a disposable brewing apparatus made ofinexpensive material such as coated paper board or polystyrene orpolyethylene and filter paper. In one alternative, it can also be usedto preserve natural resources when just the filter paper is the onlypart of the entire assembly to be discarded after use.

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the coffee brewer positioned above acoffee mug that has a 7.2 cm top opening;

FIG. 2 is a vertical sectional view of the coffee brewer positionedabove a disposable standard 12 OZ paper cup that has 7.6 cm top opening;

FIG. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the coffee brewer, showing filterpaper peel-able semi circular polar and the 5 mm seal area;

FIG. 4 is a top view of the coffee brewer;

FIG. 5 a is a bottom view of the coffee brewer;

FIG. 5 b is a bottom view of the coffee brewer with peel ablehalf-perforation;

FIG. 5 c is a perspective view of the coffee brewer in a full heightposition on an accordion structured;

FIG. 5 d is a perspective view of the coffee brewer in a flattenedposition on an accordion structured;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view showing the bottom of the coffee brewerwith Multiple Holes Cut Arrangement;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the bottom of the coffee brewerwith One Single Cut Arrangement;

FIG. 8 is a vertical sectional blow-up view of a pressure point createdduring filter paper stretched forming an arc;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the ring support with three legs; and

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the filter cup son the supporting ringwith three legs on top of a reservoir cup that has a greater than 8 cmtop opening;

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

As best seen in FIGS. 1 and 2, a drip-type coffee, or herbal or teabrewer apparatus comprises a disposable cup 10 which can be made frommaterial include but is not limited to a group consisting of polystyrenecompounds, plastic, organic and or non organic Bio-degradable polymer,and or modified and or unmodified organic fibers and or pulp and orstarch and or coated paperboard and or a combination thereof. Referringto the cup, it is seen that it has a partial closed bottom 110 that hasan outer diameter about 7.3 cm and sidewalls 105 tapering outwardlytowards the top open mouth 103 that has an outer diameter about 8.5 cm.The filter cup 10 is constructed of a water permeable or porousmaterial, preferably commercial filter paper 121 which has substantialdurability when it is in a wet condition, and which is coated withPolyethylene on one side and comparatively inexpensive so that it can bediscarded after a single use. The filter paper 121 is attached to thebottom base 110 of the filter cup 10 through heat seal or food gradestarch or ultrasonic sealing system or supersonic sealing system. Thefilter cup 10 is designed with plurality number of holes 108 on itsbottom base 110 as a time control mechanism which is fundamental to brewdifferent kind of ingredients as each ingredient seems to be neededdifferent time limit to be properly and correctly extracted. The area tobe hot seal is as wide as around 5 mm along the rim of the circularshape of the filter paper.

Each hole 108 of the invention represents 28.26 mm2. Although the sizeof the hole/cutting area 108 can be varied, this size is perfect tocreate natural water droplets size. The accumulation of the water on thepressure point 625 is turned into its maximum size before it starts todrop down as a droplet which falling into a range between 3 mm indiameter to 8 mm. The droplet size when reached to its maximum size doesnot change accordingly with the perforation change into a bigger size.Therefore to keep it in the maximum range of droplet size will becomethe most effective way to control drip down process in this type offilter brewer. This is one critical point that set apart this inventionfrom the other inventions that has bigger or too small perforationoutlet arrangement Arrangement of the holes or cutting areas 108 isdesigned to be separated at least 3 mm apart from each hole. This isimportant to create an individual droplet 630 (FIG. 6) withoutinterference from another droplet 630 which is positioned too close toone and another, in order to maintain a standard dropping rate. Asgravity draws down the liquid from top to bottom, all of the holes orcutting areas 108 will get about the same force and release it at aboutthe same rate. In other words, the hole/holes 108 receive about the sameenergy released from the gravity force or spread evenly to each andevery hole 108. The major benefit of this design is that it creates anindependent and uniform size of droplets. As learned from trials, themore standard the dropping rate the more precise its function as a timecontrolling mechanism. Also the more output to release gravity force thefaster it is in accommodating a faster brewing rate.

As best seen in the FIG. 6 and FIG. 7, a pressure point 625 developed oneach and every opening/cutting area when the hot water poured down onthe filter cup 10. The gravity force pushes down the hot water which inits natural way forms an arch shape that has the lowest point that werefer to pressure point 625 on the filter paper 121. There is aplurality of pressure points 625 in FIG. 6, while the embodiment of FIG.7 has only one. Although bigger in cutting size, pressure point 625 inFIG. 7 results in unstable and unpredictable droplets 630. On the otherhand, the pressure point in FIG. 6 which resulted from multiple holesarrangement is more predictable and, as set forth in Table 1, proved tobe more stable.

The heat seal area 109 (FIG. 3 and FIG. 4) is applied at about a 5 mmwidth circling along the outer edge of the filter paper 121 onto thecup's bottom 110. The 5 mm heat seal width provides some stretchingflexibility to form a better pressure point 625 (FIG. 8) during thedroplets drip-down process. The hot seal is possible because thecommercial filter paper 121 contains Poly Ethylene on one of its sides.When subjected to heat, the PE material melts and become part of the cupassembly.

Furthermore, to ensure a resistant-free flow of the liquid from topfilter cup 10 to the bottom of the reservoir cup, this inventionprovides a hot steam escaping route. The filter cup 10 provides four (4)hot steam escaping vents 201 (FIG. 1 and FIG. 5 a) on its lower part ofthe outer sidewall 105. The accumulated hot steam has been a problem inbrewing devices that are telescopingly assembled. The hot steam trappedin the lower liquid receiving cup has been one culprit of the slowerextraction process. Throughout our trial using a perfectly fittelescoping assembly with no gap between the two cups, the trapped hotsteam has accumulated into a massive force pushing up and thus delayedthe drip down process. This indicates that the gravity force is notworking in this condition as it is supposed to be. Therefore, releasingthe trapped hot steam enables the liquid to flow from top to bottom in aresistant-free manner. The invention has four concave shapes vent 201that are inwardly curving as deep as about 6 mm; as wide as about 1 cmand tapered upwardly as high as about 2.5 cm. Thus the vent 201 mainfunctions are to avoid pressure build-up which can prolong the brewingtime during brewing process in the reservoir mug. When disposed on acoffee mug these vents 201 allowed hot steam that is accumulated on thereservoir cup to be escaped (FIG. 1). The number of petal shape cornercan be maximize or minimize accordingly to the desired output of hotsteam released (HSR) rate. When viewed from bottom (FIG. 5 a), thefilter cup 10 looked like flower with four petal shape.

The filter cup 10 uses the least filter paper 121 amongst any othersimilar product and is especially most efficient when compared to a teabag for brewing tea beverage. Throughout our trial for brewing teabeverage, this invention embodiment that has six (6) holes arrangementresulted in about two minutes brewing time which is the same as thatrecommended in most tea bag brewing methods. For comparison, most teabag requires 13.140 mm2 (with a length of 146 mm and width 90 mm) offilter paper while this invention needs only 4183 mm2 (3.14×36.5 mm×36.5mm) filter paper that is 300% more efficient than most tea bagassemblies in using filter paper. Furthermore, in pursuing even moreefficiency with highly precision machinery, an individual hole sealingsystem is possible to be applied. For example, each individual hole 108with diameter of 5 mm needs only one circular filter paper with diameterof 7 mm to be entirely covered. With this fabricating method, one cansave up to 75% of current use (4183.3 mm2) and almost 1400% (13140 mm2divided by 923 mm2) more efficient than most of the tea bag requirementsin using filter paper. It is because its requirement of filter paper 121can be adjusted accordingly to the number of cutting areas/holes andbrewing time limit requirement. A six (6) holes arrangement needs only922 mm2 of filter paper that can be tracked from the followingcalculation; 7 mm2 filter paper to be sealed into 6 cutting areas/holesthat would equal to 3.14×7 mm×7 mm=154 mm2×6 holes=923 mm2. Thus, withmore flexible arrangements of the number of holes in order to accomplisha certain extraction need, the filter cup 10 is not wasting anyunnecessary filter paper 121 like the other brewing methods.

When telescopically engaged into the mouth of the reservoir cup or mug11 that has a top inner side opening range between 7.2 cm in diameter to7.5 cm in diameter, the filter cup 10 will fit snuggly on the reservoircup without any holder. For snugly sitting on top of the mug that hasinner side top opening with diameter of 7.6 cm to 8 cm, the filter cup10 uses attachable thin (about 3 mm thick×2.5 cm×2 cm) rectangular shapepolystyrene sheets 610 (FIG. 2) on the bottom part of the outer side ofthe cup. The number of thin polystyrene sheets 610 can be used from onesheet to more than one according to the reservoir's cup top openingwidth. The thin polystyrene sheet 610 can be pre-attached on the filtercup 10 during fabrication or it can be provided with double-sided-tapeand attached by user whenever needed. The telescopically engagement ofthe embodiment is the most practical way to hold the cup receptaclefirmly with the reservoir cup and thus provide a unique coffee or teadisposable brewer “On the Go” for the portable public.

In addition to supporting the filter cup 10 onto the reservoir cup ormug 11 that has a larger than 8 cm top opening, the filter cup 10 usesperfectly fit sit-on-ring 233 (FIG. 9 and FIG. 10) which is rounded inshape and has three supporting jagged legs 238 that each has a lengthabout 3.5 cm. Each of the supporting legs 238 is positioned at about onethird of the ring's circumference. Each of the supporting legs 238 has apredetermine jagged part on its base 239 which is positioned to lock thefilter cup 10 onto the larger top opening of the reservoir cup duringthe brewing process. The material being used for this supportingsit-on-ring 233 can range from sturdy plastic, paper base, wooden,bamboo, or a composite of various metal substances. The supporting ring233 has a width 235 of about 1 cm which is tapered outwardly which andfurther has a top diameter 236 of about 7.5 cm and a bottom diameter 237of about 7.3 cm.

In an alternative embodiment, the filter cup 10 is constructed toinclude, but is not limited to, material such as plastic and orpolymeric, where only the filter paper is to be peeled-off by pullingthe semi circle 505 (FIG. 3-4) and discarded after each brewing cycle,thus preserving natural resources. The durability of this invention canalso be prolonged to a further level of effectiveness and efficiencywhen the cup is made from, but is not limited to, material such as PolyEthylene and or Poly Styrene or the combination thereof having a wellknow durability. With using these materials, the economic value of thecup itself will become very insignificant due to its capability to beused over and over again. The only part that is discarded throughout thebrewing cycle is the filter paper 121 that is easy to be recycled. Thisinvention significantly promotes a clean environment through recyclingonly the part that is important to the brewing process and allowing thesupporting material (the cup assembly 10) to be used again and again.The hot seal of filter paper 121 onto the paper, polystyrene, orpolyethylene cup is easily done. A simple tool like solder that isinexpensive and considered as an average household tool can be modifiedinto a food grade (stainless steel) heating tip and used to seal thefilter paper 121 onto the bottom 110 of the filter cup 10. Anotheralternative is to use a same shape and size of HVS paper or protectionmaterial commonly used in ironing to prevent the conventional solderfrom directly touching the filter paper 121. The filter paper isseal-able because it contains Poly Ethylene on one of its sides. Whenapplied to heat, Poly Ethylene melts and attaches to the bottom of thecup and becomes part of the cup. As one brewing is done, the cup isreusable. All it needs is to be thoroughly and properly washed andrinsed. The filter paper has been cut in circular shape with twopredetermined semi circles 505 on each of its poles (FIG. 3-4) that isused to ease the peeling off process of the filter paper 121 afterwashing. It is easier to peel off the filter paper 121 when it is wet.After drying, a new filter paper is ready to be sealed onto the cupwhich creates another reusable new brewing device.

A standard coated paper cup, unless punctured, is encapsulated by a thinlayer of Polyethylene substances to prevent any non-food grade materialcontained in the paper itself from contaminating the beverage containedinto the cup. Therefore, in one alternative, especially for the coatedpaper cup, there is a process of re-coating the punched perforationinner side wall with water proof and heat resistant material such aspolyethylene including, but are not limited to, any kinds of food gradewax, resin, organic or synthetic polymer, modified or unmodified sugarbase coat-able substances. The method of re-coating includes but is notlimited to brush, spray, and or immersion.

A further alternative to avoid a recoating process after puncturing theperforation 108 on the paper cup's base 110 is to change the paper cup'sbase 110 material to material including, but not limited to,polystyrene, biodegradable substances such as modified and or unmodifiedorganic fibers and or pulp and or starch, and or polyethylene. Duringfabrication, the cup's base 110 made of polystyrene and or biodegradablesubstances and or polyethylene is fed into the paper cup forming machineto be integrated into a new combination of cup that has a paper coatedwall 105 and polyethylene and or biodegradable substances and orpolystyrene bottom base 110. With this combination, the need to coat theperforation 108 is eliminated because the material being used is foodgrade. One more benefit is that the new combination cup reduces the needto punch the perforation 108 during fabrication. This is because theperforation 108, made with material such as polyethylene and orpolystyrene, is formed in a mold that has a predetermined number ofperforations during forming the cup's base 110.

Another alternative for making the cup's perforation 108 very flexibleto be used in any type of extraction, is to form a maximum number ofhalf-perforations 107 (FIG. 5 b) allowed on the bottom of the cup's base110. The perforation is formed into a half cut 107 with a small part 107a. (about one fifth of its total base area) bulging out from the filtercup's base 110 to allow easy pull-off or peel-off when necessary by onein preparing a specific need of brewing. The half cut 107 is structuredwith many small-cut-and-gaps along the outer edge of the perforation butdoes not puncture it loose from the filter cup's base 110. Although somesmall leaking may appear from the un-peeled perforation, this methodallows a user to custom peel-off any number of perforations he/shedesires in order to perform his/her specific brewing need.

Further still alternatively, to save rack space on the retailer shelfand to provide a single pack of filter cup+coffee/tea+sugar+creamer intoone single sachet, the filter cup 10 may be formed into an accordionlike structure. The accordion shape or structure (best seen on FIG. 5 cand FIG. 5 d) of the cup can be formed during fabrication by using aspecific molding treatment and or heat treatment and or pressure formingor the combination thereof directly or indirectly influenced in all orin part of the filter cup's wall 105. The accordion shape or structureof the filter cup 10 can allow the cup to shorten or flatten (FIG. 5 d)and thus can be fitted into a single serving pack. When the pack isopened, one can easily pull the flattened cup into a regular height(FIG. 5 c) filter cup without altering the cup's main function as afilter apparatus.

In carrying out the operation of the invention, presumably the filtercup 10 has been assembled in the manner described and illustrated, andis supported on top of the mug. As seen in FIG. 1, a small pre-mixsachet that contained about 25 grams of ground coffee 612 plus sugarplus powder creamer is opened and poured onto the filter cup 10. Whenthe hot water reaches a suitable degree, the hot water is then pouredinto the filter cup 10 and fills the cup almost to the top opening 103.The drip down process starts immediately but still provides enough timeto do the stirring movement on the mixture. A back and forth stirringmovement of about 30 seconds to one minute is required when the hotwater is fully filled in the filter cup 10. A proper stirring movementis crucial to break the shield effect of the fat layer created when incontact with the hot water. When the stirring process is done, the useronly needs to wait until the mixed beverage has dripped down entirelyonto the coffee mug. Furthermore, the filter paper 121 has trapped allthe unextractable ingredients on the assembly of the filter cup 10. Thebeverage brewed in the filter cup 10 seeps through the filter paper,drips down the other side thereof into the mug. Once the water level islow and the drip down process is considered slow on the filter cup 10,the filter cup 10 can be easily pulled out and discarded. Instantly, thecoffee beverage can then be consumed.

It is emphasized that the filter cup 10 can accommodate a reasonablevolume (160 ml) of hot water required for brewing one serving of coffeeor tea beverage (which usually only requires about 150 ml) on one singlepouring. Moreover, the filter cup 10 is designed to provide easiness onthe pouring effort even on the larger cup with at most two simplepourings. There is no need to pour a small volume and then wait and thenrepeatedly do the same thing until the beverage is ready to consume,like some existing brewing methods that use filter elements.

It is also emphasized that the arrangement of the holes/cutting areas108 on the bottom base 110 of the filter cup 10 can be arranged by theplurality of outlets to result in a drip time in a range of about 1minute to 13 minutes or longer depending on the specific need of brewingingredient and time. The size of the hole/cutting area can be alsomodified into larger or smaller sizes to satisfy with a specific brewingrequirement. The shape of the opening or cutting area can bedifferentiated into many forms (such as company logo; characters;company's Icon or the like) as to make it fancier and enhanced itsaesthetic appearances.

The specifics of the invention described before mentioned will beunderstood as an illustration purpose and example embodiments purpose tothe invention. Numerous modifications and alterations are within thecompetency for a person skilled in the art to employ the shownembodiment utilizing functionally equivalent components to those shownand described, without departing from the scope of the invention. Forexample, the shape and volume of the cup receptacle can be varied.Furthermore, the appearance of the hot steam escaping vent and the cupreceptacle can also be varied to most any diameter desired. The scope ofthe invention, however, encompasses larger versions of the apparatusadapted for making more than one cup of coffee at the time. In addition,the scope of the invention includes use of non-disposable materials. Allsuch modifications are intended to be included within the scope of theinvention as defined by the appended claims.

When the coffee brewer shown and described is adapted for preparing anindividual serving of coffee or tea or the like, the filter cup 10 maybe approximately 4.7 cm high and have an open upper surfaceapproximately 8.5 cm in diameter and a lower partially open bottom 7.3cm in diameter.

1. A beverage brewer, adapted to discharge fresh extractable ingredientsto a liquid receiving container therebelow comprising: a disposablebrewing cup comprising a cup of reduced size having an open top andhaving a liquid pervious bottom, adapted for holding a quantity of aninfusible material for a certain time limit to allow a stirring actionbefore dispensing the brewed beverage therefrom into the liquidreceiving container; at least one sheet of filter element sealed alongat least 1 mm width to a rim of a bottom base of the brewing cup by anon-toxic meltable substance contained within the filter element andthereby sealed unto the bottom base of the brewing cup; at least onenatural size of water droplet creating perforation whereupon thepredictable manner of the drip can be used to measure the drop rate; atleast one flow restricting perforation whereupon the liquid will flow ina restricted manner to influence a time limit preferable for theextractable ingredient to flow to the liquid receiving containertherebelow; at least one concave shape vent disposed on a lower part ofan outerwall of the said brewing cup; at least one vent-providingpolystyrene sheet positionable on the lower part of the said brewingcup; and a sit-on-ring having means to support the brewing cup on theliquid receiving container, said means to support comprising: a taperedannular shape ring; and three jagged supporting legs.
 2. The device asset forth in claim 1 wherein said brewing cup is normally employs acertain standard quantity of liquid and a certain standard quantity ofextractable ingredient to yield a standard volume of beverage.
 3. Thedevice as set forth in claim 1 wherein said brewing cup is fabricatedfrom a material selected from a group consisting of polystyrenecompounds, plastic, organic Bio-degradable polymer, non organic polymer,modified and unmodified organic fibers and or pulp and or starch, andcoated paperboard.
 4. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidbrewing cup is fabricated from a combination of material selected from agroup consisting of polystyrene compounds, plastic organic and or nonorganic Bio-degradable polymer, and or modified and or unmodifiedorganic fibers and or pulp and or starch, and coated paperboard.
 5. Thedevice as set forth in claim 1 wherein said lower wall of said brewingcup is circular in cross section.
 6. The device as set forth in claim 1wherein said brewing cup is adapted to receive a supply of liquid and isliquid permeable throughout the perforation.
 7. The device as set forthin claim 1 wherein said perforations are arranged at least onemillimeter apart from one to another.
 8. The device as set forth inclaim 1 wherein each of said perforation has an area of about 28.26millimeters square.
 9. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidfilter element is heat-sealed over an area as wide as about fivemillimeters circling along the outer edge unto the bottom base of saidbrewing cup.
 10. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said vent isarranged on the brewing cup lower part of the outer sidewall.
 11. Thedevice as set forth in claim 10 wherein said vents are spaced equallyunto four cross sectional sides of the brewing cup
 12. The device as setforth in claim 10 wherein said vent comprises an inwardly concavedcorner as deep as six millimeters, and as wide as one centimeter thattapers upwardly as high as two and half centimeters of said brewing cupouter wall.
 13. The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein saidvent-providing polystyrene sheet is attachable unto said bottom part ofthe outer side of the brewing cup.
 14. The device as set forth in claim13 wherein said vent-providing polystyrene sheet is rectangular in shapewith an approximate three millimeter thickness, a length of about twoand half centimeters, and a width of about two centimeters.
 15. Thedevice as set forth in claim 1 wherein said supporting sit-on-ring isannular in shape, said supporting sit-on-ring being telescopicallyadapted unto the lower portion of said brewing cup for supporting saidbrewing cup above the liquid receiving container, upper portions of saidsupporting sit-on-ring are tapered downwardly, are arranged with a widthof 1 cm tapered outwardly which has top diameter of 7.5 cm and bottomdiameter of 7.3 cm.
 16. The device as set forth in claim 15 wherein saidsupporting legs are positionable unto the top of said reservoir cup, andinclude a jagged locking part extending therefrom to engage unto the topopening of said reservoir cup and thereby retain said brewing cup inplace at a fixed orientation within said liquid receiving container. 17.The device as set forth in claim 1 wherein said sealing method of saidfilter paper is to provide a stretching flexibility required to form asufficient arc on pressure points.
 18. The device as set forth in claim1 wherein said perforation is structured to be adapted to about themaximum size of the water droplet when applies in a similar brewing cupwith the similar water volume and gravity force.